2001 Fargo Film Festival
Category: Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Category: Film Festival The 2001 Fargo Film Festival was held March 1 through 3 at the Fargo Theatre. Awards and Award Winners ::Winner of Best Narrative Feature: Blue Shark Hash ::Winner of Best Narrative Short (Comedy): Birds Die ::Winner of Best Narrative Short (Drama): Grandfather's Birthday ::Winner of the Bill Snyder Award: The Return of Paul Jarrett ::Winner of the Pride of North Dakota Award: The Lift ::Recipient of the Ted M. Larson Award: Leonard Maltin Festival Introduction The following introduction was written by Fargo Theatre Executive Director Margie Bailly, and appeared in the program: ::The Birth of a Film Festival... A Labor of Love ::Following a gestation period of approximately 17 months, Fargo Film Festival committee members are prepared to deliver a bouncing baby film festival from the collective wombs of our minds. ::It is the consensus of festival "parents" that the most identifiable moment of conception occurred at an organizational meeting held on stage at the historic Fargo Theatre in November of 1999. This gathering was held in conjunction with the regional premiere of North Dakotans Todd and Regge Bulman's award-winning film Dead Dogs. The enthusiastic response to the Dead Dogs screening proved to festival committee members that an audience existed in our area for the presentation of lesser-known independent films - especially films with regional ties. ::In the months to follow, festival committee members completed parenting courses in the form of research and development on the care and feeding of film festivals. Hard work and divine intervention eventually illuminated for us the John Hanson, Rob Nilsson, David Schickele links to North Dakota via the Cannes-winning Northern Lights and the North Dakota documentary trilogy Rebel Earth, Prairie Fire, and Survivor, featuring North Dakota poet laureate and socialist party activist, Henry Martinson. This basic genetic material, combined with the world's fascination with all things Fargo and the inspired contributions from the late Ted Larson (Linda and That Ice Ticket), gave the festival parenting team the courage to send out pre-birth announcements in the form of festival press releases. ::In the final weeks of gestation the festival baby has gained significant weight as the schedule has been fleshed out with numerous entries of considerable creativity and artistic integrity. As we hold and release our final collective Lamaze breath and push this baby onto the festival stage, we chant our parenting team mantra... ::"It takes a community to raise a film festival and we're just the community to do it!" ::My heartfelt thanks to the inedefatigable festival parenting team and a hearty welcome to honored guests, friends, and audience members of the 1st Annual Fargo Film Festival. Thursday, March 1 (Afternoon Session) * The Cry of the Marsh (1962) produced by Bill Snyder ::Documentary Short, 12 minutes, Fargo, North Dakota. Introduced by Festival Honoree and Film Producer Bill Snyder. A 12 minute ecology educational motion picture, The Cry of the Marsh was the brainchild of Robert Hartkopf, a science teacher of Agassiz Junior High School in Fargo, North Dakota. Industrial film producer Bill Snyder liked the idea and offered to loan Bob the camera equipment, fund the production and share any profits. It was filmed in marsh lands near Hartkopf's family farm near Appleton, Minnesota. John McDonough, then of Bill Snyder Films, Inc., edited and scored the picture and guided neophyte Hartkopf in shooting the picture. The Cry of the Marsh won Best of Show at the first film festival it entered, The Michigan Outdoor Writer's Competition. It won the Blue Ribbon in the American Film Festival's ecology category, the Silver Medal in the Berlin Agriculture Film Festival, and awards in national and international festivals. * Northern Lights (1979) directed and produced by John Hanson and Rob Nilsson ::Narrative Feature, 86 minutes. Thursday, March 1 (Evening Session) * Rebel Earth (1980) written and produced by John Hanson and Rob Nilsson ::Documentary Short, 25 minutes. Funded in part by the North Dakota Humanities Council, and edited by David Schickele and Jane Stubbs, with music by David Ozzie Ahlers, David Shickele, and Rob Nilsson, Rebel Earth is the chronicle of a prairie voyage. Henry Martinson, 97 years old, goes out with a young farmer, Jon Ness of Ambrose, North Dakota, to look for the sites of his past. They search for the exact spot of the Divide County homestead where Henry grew up in 1907. They try to find the old Socialist Party headquarters where Henry was secretary and newspaper editor 60 years ago in Minot, North Dakota. But looking for the past they encounter the present. Energetic, humorous, and game for anything, Henry explores the land and meets the people of North Dakota as he has done for almost a century. * Heat and Sunlight (1987) directed by Rob Nilsson ::Narrative Feature, 97 minutes. Editing assistance and original music by David Schickele. The tale of a photographer whose affair with a dancer is on the rocks. 1988 Sundance grand prize winner. Friday, March 2 (Morning Session at the Fargo Theatre) * Wheel's Locked (2001) directed by Dave Bergeson ::Narrative Short, 17 minutes. * The Pig Farm (2000) directed by Michael Lee Barlin ::Narrative Feature, 77 minutes. * Weeping Shriner (1999) directed by William Preston Robeckon ::Narrative Short, 16 minutes. * Stumbling (2000) directed by Michael William Johnson ::Narrative Short, 10 minutes. * Little Girl (2000) directed by Juliette Garrison ::Combination Animation and Live Action Narrative Short, 11 minutes. Friday, March 2 (Morning Session at the Fargo Cinema Grill) * Dare to Do (1994) produced by Art Phillips ::Narrative Short, 7 minutes, Fargo, North Dakota. Dare to Do draws you into the challenges faced by a sickly young man many years ago, demonstrating that nearly every adversity can be overcome if you take care of what is important. The success of its central character, Theodore Roosevelt, has been credited in great part to his time spent in North Dakota. The story of Dare to Do brings tears to your eyes while it motivates you to action. The weaving of fiction with actual accounts of the central character's life give a simple quote in a letter the power to turn lives around. Nominated for Best Director, International Monitor Awards, Washington, D.C., 1994. * Fighting Chance (2000) produced by Nicola Renton and David Peterson ::Documentary Short, 11 minutes. * Your Skin, My Canvas (2000) directed by Gabriel Wimmer ::Documentary Short, 7 minutes, Fargo, North Dakota. * Prize Possession (2000) directed by Jason Hagen ::Narrative Short, 6 minutes. * Chekhov's Sisters (1999) produced by Tina Kronis and Richard Alger ::Narrative Short, 22 mnutes. * A Quick Fix (2000) directed by Adam Jason Finmann ::Narrative Short, 10 minutes. * Montag's Line (2000) directed by Mike Kolloen ::Narrative Short, 23 minutes. * Panel Discussion at the Avalon Events Center: Filmmaking in North Dakota, 1960s to 1980s ::Panelists include John Hanson, Rob Nilsson, Bill Snyder and friends. Moderated by Merrill Piepkorn (North Dakota Public Radio) and Matt Olien (Prairie Public Television). Friday, March 2 (Afternoon Session at the Fargo Theatre) * Hot Dog Church (2000) produced by Luke Cassidy and Jay Swartz ::Documentary Short, 7 minutes. Serving up nutrition for both the body and soul, Hot Dog Church is an oasis in a tough world that brings hot dogs and hope to the poor and needy of Vancouver, British Columbia. Operated by Pastors Randy and Cheryl, the two have dedicated their lives to helping the unfortunate, giving them hope for a new life. Through their religious teachings and compassion, they have helped many of Vancouver's transients turn their lives around. * Chalk (1996) produced by Rob Nilsson ::Narrative Feature, 140 minutes. The first collaboration by Nilsson's Tenderloin Action Group, a drama workshop for homeless people and inner city San Francisco residents. Chalk was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "summoning up the natural ensemble work of Cassavetes and the early rough edges of Scorsese... an atmospheric triumph." Improvised by the cast from Nilsson's bare-bones story, it is now in theatrical distribution around the country and recently streamed live over the Internet on iFilm. Directors present. Friday, March 2 (Afternoon Session at the Fargo Cinema Grill) * Flat Tire (2000) directed by Steven Anthony Smith ::Narrative Short, 23 minutes. Jim Red Dawn just got a flat tire on an isolated country road. He's got a tire jack, a short temper, and a gun. Less than friendly passersby turn Jim's ordinary situation into a deadly one. * Faust/The Lost Feminine (2000) directed by John Hanson ::Narrative Sjort, 17 minutes. The film dares to take on, in 17 minutes, Faust, the classic tale penned by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It's an updated version of the devil-buys-a-soul tale, filmed in South Dakota. "The Faust story seemed to sum up not only what had gone on in my life, but it had also explained a lot of nutty things in the outside world," says filmmaker John Hanson, "That's what drew me to it." Recently screened at Slamdance, 2001. Director present. * Baby Luv (1999) directed by Robert Martin Carroll ::Narrative Feature, 104 minutes. Applying his usual sensitivity to a cast of unknowns, Carroll gives us the story of LeeAnn, a troubled teenager whose existence revolves in an around downtown Los Angeles, a world of desolate streets and run-down tenements a million miles from the sunny city most of us know. Pregnant, against the wishes of her artist boyfriend, LeeAnn agrees to sell her child to a middle-aged couple - only to discover the couple has a secret even more troubling than her own. Feature Film Winner, Telluride Indiefest 2K. Best Picture Winner, The Deep Ellum Film Festival. Best Drama, New York Independent Film and Video Festival, 2000. Friday, March 2 (Evening Session) * Stroke (2000) directed by Rob Nilsson. ::Narrative Feature, 97 minutes. * Herman, U.S.A. (2000) directed by Bill Semans ::Narrative Feature, 89 minutes. Saturday, March 3 (Morning Session at the Plains Art Museum) Saturday, March 3 (Morning Session at the Fargo Theatre) Honored Guests * John Hanson ::John Hanson heads his own company, Northern Pictures, Inc., and independent film/video production company in Bayfield, Wisconsin. * Rob Nilsson ::Rob Nilsson, a San Francisco-based director, won the Prix de la Camera d'Or (with John Hanson) at Cannes for Northern Lights and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for Heat and Sunlight. He is the first American film director to have won both awards. In Memoriam * David Schickele (1937-1999) ::David Schickele was a well-known Bay-Area filmmaker, violinist, and compsoser. He is best known for Bushman, a feature-length film about an African student in America who struggles to resolve tribal, personal and racial frictions. The film won numerous festival awards, including Best First Feature at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was collected by the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California Berkeley and the Museum of Modern Art in New York for their archives. * Ted Larson (1940-2000) :: Ted Larson is best known for his presentations of classic film, seminars, and movie series events at colleges, theatres, and arts centers throughout the region. He was named Distinguished Alumni of Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1998 for contributions to students and film studies. ::A Glyndon, Minnesota native, Larson graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1962 with Speech Commmunication/Theatre and English degrees and taught at Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in Fargo for six years. He then joined the speech and theatre arts faculty at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he taught for 32 years. He directed Minnesota State University Moorhead's International Film Festival and Summer Cinema film series for more than 20 years. He also held a master's degree in speech and drama from the University of Kansas. ::A long time member of the Fargo Theatre's board of directors, he was one of the initiators and co-producers of its Silent Movie Night, which began in 1974. He also collaborated with symphonies in Butte and Billings, Montana as a guest scholar. Most recently, and up until his death, Ted was extensively involved in planning the first ever Fargo Film Festival. ::Through his work in locating, restoring and reconstructing lost and rare films, Ted and his longtime collaborator and friend, Rusty Casselton, have made donations of valuable motion pictures to the Library of Congress, the George Eastman House, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the Museum of Modern Art. Until his death he also administered the Colleen Moore Film Grant program at Minnesota State University Moorhead, which funds projects for student filmmakers. He and Rusty have also provided Kevin Brownlow, British film documentarian, with rare film footage for his television productions Universal Horror and Lon Chaney. ::Among his many achievements, Larson has helped a number of talented young filmmakers develop careers. His former students have worked with the likes of Steven Spielberg, David Letterman, and George Lucas. ::Ted was a unique presence who impacted constituencies, institutions, and audiences throughout the United States. We are deeply saddened by his death and acutely aware that Ted Larson is indeed irreplaceable. Notes on Leonard Maltin as the Recipient of the Ted M. Larson Award The very first Ted M. Larson Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Film Industry was bestowed on Leonard Maltin. The following notes appeared in the festival program: Often called upon for his expert knowledge and views, Leonard Maltin is a frequent contributor to numerous news organizations commenting on film history, pop culture, and cinematic happenings. Recently, he was a consultant for the highly-rated special AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars, and was seen in the CNN series Voices of the Millennium. Recognized for connecting with the MTV audience, he was a featured guest on MTV Movie Awards Uncensored, a one-hour special, and on its sister channel, VH1's The List. He is now in his 19th season as film historian and correspondent for the #1 news magazine in syndication, Entertainment Tonight, produced by Paramount Domestic Television. Previous to this he held a faculty position from 1973 to 1981 at the New School for Social Research in New York City. A native of New York City, Maltin graduated from New York University. He has penned a number of cinema-rleated books and articles, including his most recent work, Leonard Maltin's Family Film Guide. Meanwhile, his annual bestselling paperback Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide is considered a standard film reference around the world. Maltin's other titles include The Great American Broadcast, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang (as co-author), The Great Movie Comedians, The Disney Films, The Art of the Cinematographer, and Selected Short Subjects. He has written articles that have appeared in the New York Times, TV Guide, Esquire, Premiere, Smithsonian, and Film Comment. Currently, Maltin is movie critic and columnist for Playboy magazine, and a regular contributor to Disney magazine. Notes on Bill Snyder The following notes appeared in the festival program in tribute to Bill Snyder: Film producer Bill Snyder started Bill Snyder Films in 1964 when he came home from duty as a Signal Corps officer in World War II and bought a professional movie camera. A year later he went to Africa where he filmed for three different expeditions. He then becase the very first film and photo director for WDAY Television in Fargo. After six years in television he opened Bill Snyder Films again, and with artist Norm Selberg as the art and animation director, and John McDonough as the film editor and music genius, he produced more than 800 audio visual and television projects ranging in length from a string of ten second TV spots to one hour documentaries. For a number of years, Bill Snyder Films, also called Snyder Films, was the only full service industrial movie maker in the area with full cell animation, multi-track sound mixing and sound stage facilities. Nationally recognized, it won more than 60 national and international awards. Clients ranged from the makers of Melroe-Bobcat skid-steer loaders and Steiger Tractors in North Dakota, to the vast Farm Credit System in Washington, D.C. For three years beginning in 1956, Bill Snyder personally covered many news stories about kids in the three state area for Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel. Snyder retired in 1983 when he sold the company. External Links * 2001 Fargo Film Festival Winners at the Internet Movie Database